First Drive: Mercedes-Benz S-Class For many of us, the S-Class has been king of the luxury market for our lifetimes.
Not surprising then, that the driver's seat is less of an armchair feel and more of a throne. The seats in the S-Class symbolise what the latest version is all about. Before you even turn the key, you know what you're getting.
We've never sat on anything as soft and supple. Even the most pampered executive, the most doted upon royal, will be heard to emit a sigh of pleasure. Yet there's more than the soft leather on offer. There's a host of technology to boot. For those who opt for the ultimate in seating opulence, there's a massage function courtesy of seven air chambers, a cooling and heating system with six built-in fans and side bolsters that adjust to hug your frame every time you corner. It's as if Mercedes has built a small archangel masseur into every seat.
Five hours at the wheel of the new S500 and we would have been happy to do another 25. This is the sort of car that would make you forgo the private jet. Hell, we'd even sell the mansion. Who cares about the traffic and seven-hour trek to the crunch board meeting? In the S-Class you'll feel as refreshed as any first class passenger.
That's important when you're at the top, for the S-Class has long been the model driven by - or rather driven for - most of the world's royalty and elected leaders alike. Figures quoted in the last few years claim that somewhere in the region of 90 per cent of world leaders are ferried around in the flagship Mercedes model. The only downside to its image is the popularity with some of the shadier members of society and a certain association in recent times with those that manage to avoid paying tax.
Given the wealth and pedigree of the owners, it's unsurprising that when it brings out a new model, dealers are confident the orders will come flooding in, regardless of the quality of the changes. Its dominance in the world market is reflected in Ireland, where it rarely falls below the 50 per cent marque in terms of its share of the luxury saloon market.
Yet the competition has got pretty tough in recent years, in the form of the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series, Jaguar XJ and Lexus LS430. It's even facing some stiff competition from above, with the likes of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur targeting S-Class owners.
So now is the time to put some clear air between it and the opposition. Although based around the same platform as the current model, the new S-Class is a significant step forward. The exterior design, taking some cues from the Maybach range and looking sleeker and longer than before, will set the tone for future models in the coming years.
It's an imposing car and even the short-wheelbase version is 33mm longer. Width and height have also been increased and the wheelbase has been extended. The end result is a seemingly much larger cabin.
Aluminium is also a feature now, with the bonnet, front wings, doors and boot lid all made from lighter metal, though the extra bulk all round means the car is still 90kg heavier than its predecessor at 1,985kg.
Inside, along with the unbelievably soft seats, there's a significant improvement in the dashboard, this time centred around a colour monitor. Gone are the cluster of buttons surrounding the screen. Instead Mercedes has opted for a rotary dial that's something of an admission that, for all the criticism, BMW was on the right track with its iDrive.
The control is nicely weighted and there's a nice selection of menus; not too much to confuse. There's also a line of one-touch buttons on the dash, for the likes of the radio/CD, seats and even the telephone. All are chrome-plated and a vast improvement on the rather poor quality plastics in the previous model. This feels like luxury. Wood and leather are still the dominant materials, but the fit and finish is a vast improvement on the current model.
The test car was powered by the S500's 5.5-litre V8, the first in a new range of engines due for the S-Class over the next year or so. With 380bhp on offer and matched to the seven-speed 7G-tronic automatic transmission of old, it's incredibly smooth and refined. Many manufacturers boast of whisper quiet cruising, but in the S500 the engine is hardly audible. Only when you kick down do you get the slightest roar and then you're whisked forward in an instant. Official figures claim a 0-100km/h time of 5.4 seconds and though we couldn't verify it, overtaking was child's play.
Thanks to a host of settings and the powerful punch of the engine, this is the first time we've travelled in an S-Class that actually felt quite sporty. Previous editions were more like luxury barges and Mercedes have overcome previous complaints from S-Class owners about imprecise handling that left you wallowing in corners.
Ride, handling and steering are all velvet smooth, and it's capable of coping with bumpy back roads, courtesy of the new Airmatic air suspension. It soaks up the most inexcusable imperfections on our roads with poise and the only problem is that you have to keep a close eye on your speed. At one stage it was only when we had overtaken a trio of BMWs that we realised just how fast we were going. It's deceptively smooth.
Just in case you do get into some bother, the new S-Class offers a host of safety features that are sure to make the safety standard bodies rethink their categories.
The biggest criticism of the new S-Class is that, if you've made enough money to own a fully-specced S-Class, you're likely to be quite a busy person. No time then for reading the voluminous handbooks explaining what the 130 or so buttons do, never mind all the menu functions on the monitor. The options list alone is long enough to challenge any tribunal report. There's radar cruise control, night vision, parking sensors, voice control and the latest in DVD entertainment, among many others.
To guide you through the vast array of features you need a good salesperson. That's where the dealer comes in. With more and more technology on board, you need a really good briefing on the car and what's on offer. That should be a crucial factor in deciding which dealer to choose.
For a long while now, we've found that models from the three-pointed star failed to live up to the awesome reputation it has built up. Yet the new S-Class seems to have made improvements in virtually every area of automotive engineering.
The only downside is that, with all that time spent on pushing the boundaries of luxury, they've somehow let the side down in terms of design. It lacks the wow factor of some of its competitors - in particular the Audi A8.
When it was officially revealed last month at the Frankfurt show, one Lexus employee proudly boasted that Mercedes now seemed to be copying the LS. That's seriously wide of the mark, but it does highlight the fact the S-Class is not as bold as it could or should have been. After a day with it, we slowly came around to its look - particularly at the rear - but it will not be to everyone's taste.
Yet there's no doubting that even if Mercedes stripped it down and offered the original 1954 model, there'd still be a queue at the dealers in January when it arrives, such is the loyalty of S-Class owners.
Of course Mercedes has done nothing of the sort. Prices are set to rise by 6 to 7 per cent, but for that you get a car that's vastly improved on the current generation. The S-Class has long been king and the Mercedes has ensured that its reign will continue for some time to come.
